TP Software Inc.'s Network Access Suite 3.0 is a co mpetent set of TCP/IP client-server utilities for Windows 95 and NT 4.0 machines that offers a foundation for Unix system connectivity from a Windows desktop. For sites that are heavily invested in Unix server technologies, Network Access Suite is a good choice, but it's not without some rough edges.

The first sticking point is that some inexpensive shareware applications duplicate the functionality of many of Network Access Suite's components -some of which aren't as useful as their shareware counterparts. Another problem: Network Access Suite doesn't come with any paper documentation. It's all on the CD-ROM. While I can appreciate FTP Software's desire to avoid printing manuals that might become obsolete quickly-and save on printing costs-I'd have preferred printed documentation.

Despite these problems, sites with sophisticated users, and systems administrators who want shrink-wrapped products, will be pleased with the offering.

Network Access Suite 3.0 maintains a close relationship with proto cols and services typically associated with Unix servers. The package includes products that are clearly designed for Unix environments, and a fairly complete set of TCP/IP utilities-including a mail client called Mail OnNet, a Windows print client, terminal emulators called TNVT, and a network time client.

Network file access is provided through FTP Software's Interdrive NFS client and server. Network printing can also be accomplished via the Interdrive NFS client using either LPD (Line Printer Daemon) or NFS protocols. A backup program called Archiver uses the Unix Tar (Tape archive) format, or ETar (Extended Tar) format.

An FTP Software client and server called File Transfer is included, as well as a graphical front end to the Unix rsh (remote shell) and rcp (remote copy) programs, called Remote Utilities. A program called Query combines a graphical front-end client for finger, whois, quote, DNS lookup, and NIS lookup.

FTP Software's Keyview file viewer utility is included for examining file s without having to open them in their associated application. And a network application scripting editor called OPENscript editor lets users and administrators create customized terminal emulation applications and other connectivity applications.

Rounding out the product set is FTP's Custom Installation Manager (CIM) and a copy of Microsoft's Internet Explorer 3.01b.

IE 3.01b includes the security fix for launching programs via .LNK links, but does not include the other security fixes available in IE 3.02. You'll need to download a 3.5-Mbyte updater from Microsoft's Web site (www.microsoft. com) to update 3.01b to version 3.02.

Ruby Slippers
One of the advertised features of Network Access Suite is a One-Click Virtual Desktop that lets users "access their personal network environment from anywhere." That, of course, intrigued me-but I couldn't find a single reference to it anywhere on the installation CD-ROM. A call to technical support revealed the answer, but even the support perso n had to confirm it with someone else. I later found that FTP's Web site includes a pretty good description of it.

The virtual desktop is a feature already available in Windows NT 4.0 with which an administrator can make user profiles and registry settings available over the network, thus enabling a user to log on via any PC running Windows 95 or NT that can access the Primary Domain Controller. Network Access Suite administrators can set up this capability if they are running the Interdrive NFS server on the Primary Domain Controller for their network and the Interdrive NFS client on any PC where they want to log on.

The advantage of using Network Access Suite is that user settings for Network Access Suite, as well as the Network Access Suite utilities, can be shared over the network, and the Interdrive NFS client and server can extend beyond the subnets or routers that would hinder Windows' NetBIOS-based file system mounts.

File Under 'Elegant'
The suite's File Transfer Protocol client is clearly the winner of the bunch. Its interface is elegant and seamlessly interoperates with the Windows 95 and NT 4.0 desktops. You can open up to two network or local connections using any combination of network volumes, NFS, or FTP connections, and the files and directories appear as if they are mounted locally. FTP's Interdrive NFS client and server are also nice pieces of work, as they are integrated into the Network Neighborhood icon on your desktop.

One of the more interesting additions to Network Access Suite is the CIM. Using the CIM, a systems administrator can create customized installation scripts that will install a set of Network Access Suite's programs and options from a server onto a user's PC.

I installed the Network Access Suite distribution on a Windows NT 4.0 server and was able to create a set of installation scripts using the CIM.

However, I found the CIM's interface to be clumsy and downright confusing, and the online documentation didn't offer much help.

To use the CIM's scripts, the user has to run the Network Access Suite setup program on the target PC with a command-line parameter that tells the program to use the customized installation scripts that are on the server.

An interesting addition to Network Access Suite is a network application scripting tool that FTP Software intends for both software developers and system administrators. It's not really an end-user product, and its reliance on a Visual Basic-like scripting language would turn off most Unix system administrators, but it is powerful nonetheless.

FTP calls it Open Object Technology. It's really an environment for creating scripts that can access the network and can control OLE automated applications using FTP's version of Basic (FTP says it's very similar to Visual Basic, but not identical).

Although the language is too complicated for casual scripting, FTP Software includes some impressive programming examples, such as a tool that queries a subnet for h ostnames and automatically puts them into an Excel spreadsheet.

Easy On, Easy Off
Installing Network Access Suite is painless-as it should be. If your CD-ROM drive supports autorun of CDs, the Network Access Suite CD-ROM will launch a nice graphical installation front end that shows you the major installation options you can choose from.

One very helpful thing I noted is that I could install the entire distribution, use it for a while, and then uninstall the entire suite-and it left my machine back where it started. There were no stray NFS server logon screens when I rebooted, and the program groups were gone from the menu system and registry after the uninstall was completed.

Network Access Suite ships on a single CD-ROM and requires anywhere from 10 Mbytes to 25 Mbytes of disk space, depending on how much of the package you install. A full server distribution for sharing among users requires about 65 Mbytes. FTP recommends a 486 machine with 16 Mbytes of RAM running Windows 95 or N T 4.0 with Service Pack 2 to run Network Access Suite as an end user. FTP says its TCP/IP utilities will work with either Microsoft's or FTP's own TCP/IP stacks, the Secure Client 3.0 stack, or the OnNet 2.0 stack.

Next-Generation IP
Network Access Suite 3.0 also supports IP version 6 and Winsock 2.0 in some of the bundled utilities. IP version 6, sometimes called IPng (IP next generation), has improved addressing and security over the current IP version 4, though it's still not widely deployed. Winsock 2.0, the interface for TCP/IP applications running on Windows PCs, is now supported by the latest Service Packs for Windows NT 4.0 and is in beta for Windows 95. Winsock 2.0 has better input/output throughput and can handle multiprotocol configurations better than Winsock 1.x does.

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